Describes a University of Alabama program that trained a cadre of elementary teachers to use various manipulatives in their daily mathematics programs. These teachers received a set of manipulatives to share with others and were expected to conduct inservice programs for colleagues. The program increased use of manipulative materials and revealed…

Describes a study conducted to review the status of educational guarantees in two-year colleges and identify restrictions and processes associated with their implementation. Indicates that 87% of the colleges had adopted occupational guarantees and 68% adopted transfer guarantees and that colleges are using guarantees to improve institutional…

Explores how quality in early childhood services is defined and examines the implications of working within the inclusionary approach. Argues that the choice of paradigm for working with quality is of the greatest importance for early childhood services. Concludes by noting that an inclusionary approach to quality fits best with the concept of…

Reviews the role of accreditation in American higher education and shortcomings related to its inconsistency and lack of rigor. Discusses the 1996 creation of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to oversee accreditation activities. Describes CHEA's organizational structure and analyzes its impact on accreditation and educational…

Five veteran college alumni directors share strategies for creating an effective association: deciding what program aspects must be measured; assessing the program realistically; listening to customers; stretching program resources to hold down cost and work more efficiently; and remembering the value of the human touch in program design and…

A discussion of the National Research Council's 1995 ranking of research-doctorate programs in the United States criticizes the report for what it does not address, particularly comparisons with the information it disseminated in a 1982 report, some data discrepancies, and central issues such as an institution's available methods of instruction,…

This article describes how to use flowcharts in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs for students with disabilities. Types of flowcharts, basic flowchart symbols, and guidelines for drawing flowcharts are discussed. A case study illustrates how a flowchart was used to develop and display a behavior teaching plan for a nonvocal…

Describes the process of developing an administrative information system for the University of Debrecen (Hungary), a merger of four small universities and three colleges. Focuses on administrative applications (personnel, enrollment management, student records, financial aid, curriculum materials), student access to computers, campus-wide…

Explains the idea of a multidisciplinary doctoral curriculum that would blend and foster activity in five areas: (1) foundational disciplinary literature, (2) research and theory about museums, (3) operation of and practices in museums, (4) research methodology, and (5) design and evaluation of practice. (DDR)

Teachers in Highland Park, Michigan, conducted research and began an interactive reading-instruction program for students who were not succeeding in school. Reciprocal teaching, which trains students to use four strategies (generating questions, summarizing, clarifying, and predicting) for improving reading comprehension, raised hopes,…

This study of 70 adults who were discharged from an inpatient hospital rehabilitation unit found a strong correlation between appropriateness of the initial admission of the patients and their functional gains. The study suggests admitting patients who have considerable gains to make and potential to return to community living. (CR)

Examines ways in which the home schools of 287 gifted students credited students' participation in accelerated high school courses sponsored by university summer programs. After program accreditation, the number of positive responses by the students' schools increased significantly, including giving course credit, appropriate placement within the…

Focuses on school-based enterprises as a school-to-work option. These programs provide hands-on training for students with mild disabilities in for-profit ventures with the structure and supervision available in a school setting. Program development for operating for-profit enterprises is discussed and steps for getting the business started are…

An Oregon 4-H camp ran a week-long program in which 87 elementary age campers and 16 secondary age counselors operated businesses, dealt with customers, and promoted products. Pretests/posttests showed an average 8.7% increase in camper knowledge of money management skills, with 72% of campers showing improvement. Lists ideas for teaching money…

In the University of California Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program, a partnership with the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, volunteers teach approximately 1000 people annually how to compost in their backyards to help reduce landfill waste. Surveys conducted in 1995 and 1996 showed that home composters reduced their input into…